Eumorpha vitis (Vine Sphinx Moth)

Common Names

Common Names in English:

Vine Sphinx, Vine Sphinx Moth

Description

Family Sphingidae

'The Sphingidae belong to the Superfamily Sphingoidea. Members of this family are commonly called "hummingbird," "sphinx," or "hawk" moths, and some can be mistaken for hummingbirds. Most are medium to large moths, with heavy bodies; wingspread reaches 5 inches or more in some species. The Sphingidae are strong and fast fliers, with a rapid wingbeat. Most species in the group are active at dusk, and most feed much like hummingbirds, hovering in front of a flower and sipping nectar through the extended proboscis. The proboscis rolls up when not in use. Some species lack scales on large portions of their wings, resulting in transparent or clear wings. In most species, the larval stage is called a "hornworm" because the caterpillar''s posterior end has a harmless hook or hornlike appendage protruding upward. Unfortunately, the caterpillar of some species can be very destructive to agricultural crops and ornamental plantings .

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Subfamily Macroglossinae

The Macroglossinae are members of the Family Sphingidae. They are widely distributed, medium to very large-sized moths with robust bodies. Some are active at night, others at twilight or dawn, and others (such as the clearwings) feed on flowers during the day and resemble bumblebees or hummingbirds. Larvae feed feed day and night on woody and herbaceous plants . Adults of the Macroglossinae have sensory hairs on the first segment of their labial palps, while adults of the Sphinginae lack them. Most species pupate in the soil, though some form loose cocoons in the leaf layer.

Physical Description

Species Eumorpha vitis

Upperside is dark pinkish brown. Forewing has sharp pinkish white bands and streaks. Hindwing has a pink patch along the inner margin and pale whitish brown along the outer margin . (ref. 106282)

Color:

Upperside is dark pinkish brown. Forewing has sharp pinkish white bands and streaks. Hindwing has a pink patch along the inner margin and pale whitish brown along the outer margin .

Size/Age/Growth

Wing span : 3 3/8 - 4 1/8 inches (8.5 - 10.5 cm).

Habitat

Tropical and subtropical lowlands.

Biology

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Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Grape (Vitis) and vine (Cissus). Adult food: Nectar from flowers including rosy periwinkle (Vinca rosea), and perhaps orchids in the tropics.

Reproduction

Adults begin feeding at dusk. Caterpillars pupate in shallow underground chambers.

Behavior

Flight: . Two broods in Florida from April-May and July-October, one brood in the rest of the range from July-September.

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia () - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria () - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
    - Branch: Protostomia () - Grobben, 1908
      - Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa () - Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
        Superphylum: Panarthropoda () - Cuvier
        Phylum: Arthropoda () - Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
        Subphylum: Mandibulata () - Snodgrass, 1938
        Infraphylum: Atelocerata () - Heymons, 1901
        Superclass: Panhexapoda ()
        Epiclass: Hexapoda ()
        Class: Insecta () - C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
        Subclass: Dicondylia ()
        Infraclass: Pterygota ()
        Cohort: Myoglossata ()
        Superorder: Amphiesmenoptera ()
        Order: Lepidoptera () - Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
        Suborder: Glossata ()
        Infraorder: Heteroneura ()
        Superfamily: Sphingoidea ()
        Family: Sphingidae () - Samouelle, 1819 - Sphinx Moths
        Subfamily: Macroglossinae () - Macroglossinae
        Genus: Eumorpha ()
        Specific name: vitis - (Linnaeus, 1758)
        Scientific name: - Eumorpha vitis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Eumorpha

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 52 species and subspecies in this genus:

E. achemon (Achemon Sphinx Moth) · E. adamsi · E. ampelophaga · E. analis · E. anchemola · E. anchemolus (Anchemola Sphinx) · E. capronnieri · E. cinnamomea · E. cissi · E. clotho · E. crantor · E. domingonis · E. drucei · E. eacus · E. elisa · E. excessus · E. extinctus · E. fasciata (Banded Sphinx) · E. fasciatus (Banded Sphinx) · E. fuscatus · E. hesperidum · E. hornbeckiana · E. intermedia (Intermediate Sphinx) · E. jussieuae · E. labruscae (Gaudy Sphinx) · E. licaon · E. linnei · E. lycaon · E. macasensis · E. megaeacus (Eacus Sphinx) · E. megaecus · E. mirificatus · E. neuburgeri · E. obliquus · E. orientis · E. pallida · E. pandion · E. pandorus (Pandorus Sphinx Moth) · E. phorbas · E. posticarius · E. posticatus · E. rosea · E. satellitia (Satellite Sphinx) · E. strenua · E. strigilis · E. translineatus · E. triangulum · E. trigon · E. tupaci · E. typhon (Typhon Sphinx) · E. vini · E. vitis (Vine Sphinx Moth)

More Info

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Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Notes

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Contributors

Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Taxonomic Classification. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 27, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index
Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Mountain Prairie Information Node. March 26, 2007.
Opler, Paul A., Kelly Lotts, and Thomas Naberhaus, coordinators. 2009. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Big Sky Institute. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ (Version of April 17, 2009).

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 27, 2008:

Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (Costa Rica): Biodiversidad de Costa Rica

Identifiers

Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2605536
Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-55320.0
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1716849

Footnotes

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=30&sci=Sphingidae&com=Sphinx Moths, Hawkmoths [back]